Rufus Barma
Rufus Barma (ルーファス バルマ, Ruufasu Baruma) is the leader of the Barma Dukedom and one of the Four Great Dukes. Rufus is older than that of his fellow Dukes Sheryl Rainsworth, Bernard Nightray and Oscar Vessalius, and because of this he has a vast collection of knowledge that is always expanding. Rufus is known to have a contract with one of Glen Baskervilles's old Chains, Dodo, having made the contract at a young age. Rufus has been contracted to Dodo for around 30 years. Appearance Rufus first appears to be a large round man with a mustache, wild eyes and comical features, coupled with a hat shaped like a teacup (which actually contains tea). When Xerxes Break reveals this form to be nothing more than an illusion, Rufus reveals himself as the man always posing as Sheryl's valet. Rufus' true form has long crimson-colored hair that travels down his back, as well as a large piece of hair atop his head that sticks out from the rest of his hair (called an ahoge, meaning stupid hair). Rufus' eyes differ from other characters, being more oblong and dark gray in color, which is because the Barmas originate from another country (a mountainous country that is quite snowy and cold for most of the year). The head of the Barma is seen wearing a heavy cream-colored robe, which is suggested to be summer-wear of his motherland, and keeping his hair long and untidy most of the time is probably for this same reason. Personality Rufus is the longest-living Duke, and is thus particularly knowledgeable and has considerably high intellect. Through his accumulation of information, he is an apt judge of character and able to predict the reactions of people who he encounters. He is somewhat cold, heartless, shrewd, condescending, calculating and manipulative. He is self-centered, and this attribute leads him to withhold important information from the other Dukedoms, should it benefit him. He has a cynical attitude to other humans and states that he weighs their value in terms of their ability to contribute to his knowledge. He detests the ability of people to change without his knowledge, as it renders the information he has attained obsolete. He angers Oz more often than Break does. Rufus acts as Sheryl's valet, and it is implied through the omakes that he has some romantic interest in her, although this love remains unrequited. Rufus is also a pragmatist. He states that his motive for betraying Pandora and siding with the Baskervilles is to ensure the recognition or preservation of his own Dukedom. For this reason, his morality is rather ambigious. Quotes To Xerxes Break *''"Fie upon thee. I can cause an opponent to die of shock with mine illusions. Prithee, liken our Chains not, as thy Chain is useless against humans. (Rufus compares Dodo and Mad Hatter's usefulness)'' *''" 'Tis as thou hast just said... I desire the information that be in thy hands."'' *''" And who dost thou think thou art refering to as the 'Bird-Brained Duke'?"'' *''Pandora will soon capitulate. And if that's the case... I will follow the stronger party and save the Barma House.'' *''Hatter, a few days ago... I finally finished deciphering Arthur Barma's notes. What was written there was Arthur Barma's confession. So I finally learned the truth about the Tragedy of Sablier. The truth about the man we all call a "hero"!'' To Reim Lunettes *''"Drawest thou back, useless knave."'' To Oz the B-Rabbit *'"'''Thou... dost consider it troublesome to hide thy true self after provoking me on a previous occasion, I see." *"Fret thee not. This time alone, the information cometh unto thee for thee." *"The Barma family once devoted itself to researching alchemy and magic in its search for knowledge." *"Five Sealing Stones were allocated to five trusted mages... and were to have been protected by each of them into the present." To Sharon Rainsworth *"What sayes thou? Shall I take over thy education and teach thee a lesson anew?'' To Sheryl Rainsworth *''Our promise, you say? That's why I've told you, sentimentality is a weakness of yours.'' In General *''I know everything.'' *''Information is power!'' Chapter Appearances *Retrace XXIX: Rufus Barma *Retrace XXX: Snow White Chaos *Retrace XXXI: Countervalue of Loss *Retrace XXXII: Snow Dome *Retrace XLI: Where Am I!? *Retrace XLII: Stray *Retrace XLIII: Crown of Clown *Retrace XLIV: Dusty Sky* *Retrace XLV: Queen of Hurts *Retrace XLVI: Persona* *Retrace XLVII: Unbirthday *Retrace XLVIII: Isla=Yura *Retrace LIII: Humpty Dumpty Sat On A Wall* *Retrace LIX: Couldn't Put Humpty Dumpty Together Again *Retrace LX: Egg Shell *Retrace LXI: Demios *Retrace LXII: Repose *Retrace LXIII: Purpose *Retrace LXIV: Tarantelle *Retrace LXV: Collapse *Retrace LXVI: Jack *Retrace LXXII: Bloody Rabbit *Retrace LXXIII: A note *Retrace LXXIV: Broken Rabbit *Retrace LXXV: Alone* *Retrace LXXVIII: Decision *Retrace LXXIX: Falling *Retrace LXXXI: CHILDREN *Extra Episode: It Makes All Kinds *The Story of the Barmas: Pink Curse }} (*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of other characters' memories Trivia *Rufus' zodiac sign is Aries. *He is the childhood friend of Sheryl Rainsworth, Sharon's grandmother, whom he fears as the way some characters fear Sharon. However, in the omake series titled, "Go For It! Little Reim (Liam)!" it was shown that he made a young Reim deliver some love letters to her, and in another omake he explained that his reason for not having bodyguards or attendants is to be close to (and alone with) her. *He is based on the caterpillar from the Alice books. *In Retrace XLIII: Crown of Clown, it is shown that Rufus has a pet Lorikeet, a reference to the fact that a Lory took part in the Caucus Race in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. *He is called "Bird-Brained Duke" by both Alice and Break, interestingly enough, Rufus called Isla Yura this as well in Retrace XLVIII. *Rufus' speaks in an older form of the Japanese language, making his speech more complex compared to all the other characters. Navigation Category:Barma Family Category:Contractors Category:Pandora members Category:Characters Category:Male Category:Duke Category:Legal Contractors Category:Human Category:Baskervilles